Hey everyone, I recently installed and began playing Daggerfall and love it so far, but I have a few questions.
1. How do I get the main quest to advance, I made it to Daggerfall, but nothing is happening.
2. What are some tips/strategies on how to keep track of where you are/where you have been in a dungeon?
3. What is the deal with weapon conditions (new/almost new etc.)? I tried to repair one in a shop but it didn't do anything.

Within 30 days of leaving the first dungeon you should receive a letter to from Lady Brisenna requesting you to meet her at a random inn in a random town. After that the main quest won't get very exciting until after level 7-9 but make sure you are ready to battle liches, mummies, vampires and werewolves.

The dungeons are hellish. A recall spell is the best thing in the world, it's so much easier to cast the spell and teleport out versus having to find your way out. If I have to back track, I try to either drop things in hallways that aren't the correct way or remember visual marks- changes in the wall patterns or random objects laying on the ground.

You have to wait the amount of time and then come back for the item. If you don't wait then the repair option won't do anything. When something breaks it is totally unusable unless repaired. I always try to have a second weapon on hand because I usually just use a weapon until it breaks and then sell it.

The dungeons are hellish. A recall spell is the best thing in the world, it's so much easier to cast the spell and teleport out versus having to find your way out. If I have to back track, I try to either drop things in hallways that aren't the correct way or remember visual marks- changes in the wall patterns or random objects laying on the ground.

I don't think I would have ever made it through the game without recall; that spell is a lifesaver. I kind of disappointing in myself now for never thinking to leave a trail of bread crumbs with my inventory, though. It seems so simple and would be so much more effective then looping around in circles for hours...

1: You don't actually need to go to Daggerfall for the main quest to advance. Within two weeks (in-game time) after you started the game, you should receive a letter. Till then, explore, raid small crypts, join guilds, spend money on skill training (it's cheap at low level).

The wiki has a lot of info about the main quest. There's of course a lot of spoilers, but it may be useful to refer to it when you're stuck. The game is full of bugs, and there is no guarantee that you'll manage to finish it :/. Don't worry, I've never finished it myself and I've had fun nonetheless.

2: Drop crap on the floor. Dungeons are full of cheap stuff (flowers, leather leggings) that are worth a few GP, use that to mark where you've been or where you come from. At each intersection, I usually put 1 object to show where I come from, or 2 objects to mark an area that is completely explored.

Following the right (of left) wall can work, but it's not always the best. Dungeons are made of blocks, and some blocks are pretty heavy on mechanisms/levers/elevators stuff, they're real puzzles. For these, following the right wall is a bad idea because you'll never solve the puzzle that way.

3: You cannot repair magical weapons. Normal weapons can be repaired. The smith will keep it for a few days, fix it, and you can come pick it up later. I do not remember whether you pay in advance.

4: You didn't ask for a 4, but I tell you nonetheless. Save. Save before asking for a quest, save in another slot when you've accepted the quest, yet in another one before talking to the questgiver again. Because bugs, bugs everywhere. You could get stuck after finishing a quest because your inventory is too full to accept the reward, things like that.